It was the worst of times for us all. The May 21, 2022, derecho struck Uxbridge, Ont., from the Sixth Concession through the west end of town, across the railway yards, devastating homes, downtown apartments, Second Wedge Brewery and Trinity United Church among many places.
Power was out for days, phone service spotty, and just the goodwill of neighbours got us through. With our garage gone and my car crushed, I turned to my insurers, who told me my car was a write-off. They offered me a cash settlement for the wreck. I agreed. Then, the agent read me the fine print of my policy over the phone.
“The car rental clause (promising six weeks of rental,)” she said, “since you’ve agreed to the sale of your (written-off) car, it ends today.”
In effect, they had terminated my coverage seven days after the storm. So, without transportation, when the internet was back, I started surfing used car sites around the GTA. I planned how to get into the city to dealers from whom I’d formerly purchased cars to find some transport. Then, somebody suggested Broadway Auto Sales. Of course, I’ve known the owner for years. And coincidentally he had a compact the same make, model and year as the one crushed in the storm.
My point? The answer to my dilemma wasn’t a fancy Toronto car dealership, a huge car mall in the suburbs, nor even an Amazon site the other side of the planet, but right in my own backyard. Even for me – a resident in town for nearly 35 years – I couldn’t see the forest for the trees.
And, with my lesson learned – finding vital services nearby – I discovered there were just as many solutions to the other problems we faced with our insurer after the storm. When it was clear either the insurer hadn’t prepared for such a disaster (go figure in 2024), or determined that I was too bothersome a client, I began searching locally.
They apparently had no skilled tradespeople to clear 10-tons of tree from my house; we found Cornerstone Contracting locally. They couldn’t seal in what was left of the house to protect it from fast-approaching fall and winter weather; we found D & M Construction locally. The battles we had with the insurer for repayment are another issue.
The insurance company kept claiming that their estimates came in lower than the receipts for our bills. When they ultimately realized that the value of the work more than equaled the value of the cost, they paid.
Again, I don’t rehash all this to complain about insurance companies. That’s a given. I offer the story as a cautionary tale. If we don’t search out products and services here in town, one day there just won’t be any. And why? Because of laziness, Big Smoke chauvinism, or habit – we look elsewhere, because we think elsewhere must be better. And I can think of countless other examples. Not just car sales and building contractors.
How many times have we all chosen to commute to Markham or Newmarket to catch the latest first-run movie at a Cineplex? Pretty silly, when the Roxy Theatres bring them here (and with fresher confections and a staff that knows our names).
Or if you’ve thought, “How do I get that latest murder mystery, Bury the Lead?” Well, you could order it online and wait for a truck to dump the package anonymously on your front step in a few days. Or, you could visit Blue Heron Books today, buy the book and a ticket to meet its co-authors Kate Hilton and Liz Renzetti in the store studio on March 28 and get it autographed. Neither Amazon nor Chapters can deliver that within blocks of where you live.
The same goes for services. If you think the best tradespeople can only be found via the big national brand outlets, take the time to check the Cosmos classifieds or billboards around town. Partly because we were literally left out in the cold by our insurers after the tornado, through our contractor we connected with electricians, drywallers, painters, etc. – all minutes away.
One of the other tornado casualties at our place were ancient storm windows. Again, the insurance company was of no use. But we found Ace Glass locally in Greenbank; they came by to measure, quoted right away and replaced the broken glass in days.
Quite literally our refuge in the storm turned out to be the closest port of all – local services with people we knew. And they delivered.